What should I put in a media kit for brand partnerships?

Six elements. First, a clear headline with your name, niche, and one-line value proposition ("Travel content creator with 200k Instagram followers focused on Europe rail travel"). Second, audience stats: total followers per platform, monthly impressions, engagement rate, demographic breakdown (age, gender, geography). Third, content samples — three to six pieces of your best work as image thumbnails with brief context. Fourth, recent partnerships and case studies — "Worked with Brand X on summer 2025 campaign; 400k impressions, 12k engagements, sold-out partnership product". Fifth, package options at a glance (without specific pricing — save that for the rate card). Sixth, contact info and process for inquiries. Total length: 5–10 pages PDF. Refresh quarterly as stats grow.

Should I include exact pricing in the media kit or send a rate card separately?

Separately, in most cases. Including pricing in the media kit makes the kit look transactional and lets brands self-select out before they have engaged with your work. Pricing in the rate card (a separate PDF) means brands ask first, you engage with their specific use case, and pricing comes as part of a conversation rather than a take-it-or-leave-it. The exception: high-volume creators with standardised packages can include "starting at $X" in the media kit to filter inbound to budget-fit; for most creators the separate-rate-card path produces better deal economics.

How do I structure a brand-deal contract PDF?

Standard sections. Parties: legal names of you and the brand. Scope: specific deliverables (post count, platform, story count, video length, blog post). Timeline: content production dates, posting dates, exclusivity windows. Usage rights: where can the brand reuse your content, for how long. Compensation: amount, currency, payment terms (Net 30 typical), late-fee clause. FTC compliance: required disclosure language (#ad #sponsored), where in the post it appears, your responsibility for following FTC guidelines. Termination: how either party exits. Signatures: both parties. The whole contract fits on 3–6 pages PDF. For your first contracts, use a template from a creator-economy law resource (Creator Legal, Influencer Legal Hub) rather than from scratch.

What FTC compliance language do I need in my contracts?

In the US, the FTC requires "material connection" disclosure for any sponsored content — the audience must understand the post is paid. Standard practice: #ad or #sponsored at the start of the caption (not buried), or "Paid partnership with [Brand]" on Instagram and other platforms' built-in disclosure tools. Your contract should require this disclosure and assign responsibility for it (typically to you as the creator). The contract should also require you to remove undisclosed sponsored content if the FTC requests, and the brand to back you up if the FTC investigates. The same applies in similar form across UK CMA, EU consumer-protection authorities, and Australia. International deals get more complex; consult creator-legal counsel for high-value cross-border deals.

How do I handle taxes for brand deals — W-9 / W-8BEN?

For US creators receiving payment from a US brand, the brand will request a W-9 before processing payment — provides your SSN or EIN for 1099 reporting. Fill once and reuse with each brand. For non-US creators receiving payment from US brands, W-8BEN claims foreign-person status and any tax-treaty benefits to reduce US tax withholding. For US creators paid by foreign brands, no W-9 needed; just track income for your own self-employment reporting. For non-US creators paid by non-US brands, local tax forms apply — varies by country. Maintain a tax-document folder in your creator file store with current versions of each form; brands rarely accept forms over a year old.

7 min read

PDF for influencers — media kits and brand contracts

By ScoutMyTool Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026-05-21

When my first real brand deal landed in my inbox I realised, with a small jolt of panic, that I had none of the paperwork a brand expects — no media kit, no rate card, no contract, no idea what the FTC wanted me to disclose. I cobbled it together over a frantic weekend, and then made it a rule never to be caught flat-footed again. The creators who close deals smoothly keep a small library of polished, reusable PDFs ready to go; everyone else burns hours per partnership redoing the same documents. In this guide I walk through the six recurring documents, the templates that scale across many brands, and the compliance details (FTC disclosure, tax forms) that protect both sides.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation, especially for high-value or international deals.

Six documents that recur in every brand deal

Document	Purpose	When to send
Media kit (5–10 page PDF)	Headline audience stats, content samples, recent partnerships, contact	Inbound brand inquiry; cold-outreach for partnership
Rate card	Per-deliverable pricing (post, story, video, package deals)	After interest is established; rarely as first artifact
Brand-deal contract	Scope, deliverables, timeline, usage rights, payment terms, FTC compliance	Once brand has agreed terms; before content production
Post-campaign report	Performance metrics, engagement, deliverables shipped, sentiment	Within 7 days of campaign close
Tax / W-9 / W-8BEN PDF	Tax forms for brand-deal payment processing	Before invoicing the brand for the deal
Invoice (one per deal)	Payment-due document with brand purchase-order reference	On deliverable completion per contract terms

Step by step — set up the template kit

Build the media kit first. Use Canva (free for creators) with a designed template that matches your brand. Fill with current audience stats, three to five best content samples, recent partnerships, contact info. Export to PDF. Host at a stable URL on your site (`/media-kit.pdf`); the URL becomes your public artefact that you link to from your social bios.
Build the rate card next. One page, clean layout. Per-deliverable pricing for your standard packages (single post, story package, video, blog mention, multi-post campaign). Update quarterly as your stats grow and rates increase. Do not publish the rate card publicly; send when brands engage seriously.
Source a contract template from creator legal resources (Creator Legal, Influencer Legal Hub, your attorney). Customise once with your name and business details, your preferred payment terms and usage-rights conventions. Duplicate per deal; fill in brand-specific fields; sign and send.
Set up the W-9 / W-8BEN ready for delivery. Fill once; save as PDF in your tax-documents folder; send when brands ask for it (most do, before paying). Refresh annually or when your filing status changes.
Per campaign, generate the post-campaign report.Templated PDF with campaign metrics, screenshots of the deliverables, engagement summary, qualitative notes on audience response. Send within 7 days of campaign close. The report compounds — repeat brands see professional follow-through and are more likely to renew.

FTC compliance reminders for your contracts

Every brand-deal contract you sign should include explicit FTC compliance terms. The brand requires you to disclose the partnership; you require the brand to acknowledge that you will comply with FTC guidelines and that disclosure language is mutually agreed. Specific items to address. Disclosure placement: #ad or #sponsored at the start of the caption, before any link click-through. Disclosure format: on Instagram, the platform's built-in Paid Partnership tag is preferred over hashtags alone; on YouTube, the "includes paid promotion" checkbox plus verbal disclosure in the first 30 seconds; on TikTok, the Branded Content tool is required. Removal language: contract specifies what happens if the FTC requests removal of undisclosed content (usually you remove, brand does not penalise). Indemnification: the brand indemnifies you against claims arising from their product, you indemnify the brand against claims arising from your content-creation practices.

International creators selling to US audiences are still subject to FTC rules even if they are not US-based, because the audience is US-based. Brands often forget this; your contract should be explicit that FTC compliance applies. For audiences in multiple jurisdictions (US plus UK plus EU), the compliant approach is to follow the strictest standard; the stricter disclosures satisfy all jurisdictions simultaneously.

FAQ

What should I put in a media kit for brand partnerships?: Six elements. First, a clear headline with your name, niche, and one-line value proposition ("Travel content creator with 200k Instagram followers focused on Europe rail travel"). Second, audience stats: total followers per platform, monthly impressions, engagement rate, demographic breakdown (age, gender, geography). Third, content samples — three to six pieces of your best work as image thumbnails with brief context. Fourth, recent partnerships and case studies — "Worked with Brand X on summer 2025 campaign; 400k impressions, 12k engagements, sold-out partnership product". Fifth, package options at a glance (without specific pricing — save that for the rate card). Sixth, contact info and process for inquiries. Total length: 5–10 pages PDF. Refresh quarterly as stats grow.
Should I include exact pricing in the media kit or send a rate card separately?: Separately, in most cases. Including pricing in the media kit makes the kit look transactional and lets brands self-select out before they have engaged with your work. Pricing in the rate card (a separate PDF) means brands ask first, you engage with their specific use case, and pricing comes as part of a conversation rather than a take-it-or-leave-it. The exception: high-volume creators with standardised packages can include "starting at $X" in the media kit to filter inbound to budget-fit; for most creators the separate-rate-card path produces better deal economics.
How do I structure a brand-deal contract PDF?: Standard sections. Parties: legal names of you and the brand. Scope: specific deliverables (post count, platform, story count, video length, blog post). Timeline: content production dates, posting dates, exclusivity windows. Usage rights: where can the brand reuse your content, for how long. Compensation: amount, currency, payment terms (Net 30 typical), late-fee clause. FTC compliance: required disclosure language (#ad #sponsored), where in the post it appears, your responsibility for following FTC guidelines. Termination: how either party exits. Signatures: both parties. The whole contract fits on 3–6 pages PDF. For your first contracts, use a template from a creator-economy law resource (Creator Legal, Influencer Legal Hub) rather than from scratch.
What FTC compliance language do I need in my contracts?: In the US, the FTC requires "material connection" disclosure for any sponsored content — the audience must understand the post is paid. Standard practice: #ad or #sponsored at the start of the caption (not buried), or "Paid partnership with [Brand]" on Instagram and other platforms' built-in disclosure tools. Your contract should require this disclosure and assign responsibility for it (typically to you as the creator). The contract should also require you to remove undisclosed sponsored content if the FTC requests, and the brand to back you up if the FTC investigates. The same applies in similar form across UK CMA, EU consumer-protection authorities, and Australia. International deals get more complex; consult creator-legal counsel for high-value cross-border deals.
How do I handle taxes for brand deals — W-9 / W-8BEN?: For US creators receiving payment from a US brand, the brand will request a W-9 before processing payment — provides your SSN or EIN for 1099 reporting. Fill once and reuse with each brand. For non-US creators receiving payment from US brands, W-8BEN claims foreign-person status and any tax-treaty benefits to reduce US tax withholding. For US creators paid by foreign brands, no W-9 needed; just track income for your own self-employment reporting. For non-US creators paid by non-US brands, local tax forms apply — varies by country. Maintain a tax-document folder in your creator file store with current versions of each form; brands rarely accept forms over a year old.

Citations

Sign brand deals in your browser

ScoutMyTool Sign PDF runs client-side. Sign brand contracts and W-9 forms without uploading them to a vendor server.

Open Sign PDF →